Babri Masjid demolition case: Allahabad HC says revision petition against acquittal of accused people not maintainable, file as criminal appeal

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Monday said that the revision petition filed against the acquittals of all 32 accused persons, including former deputy prime minister LK Advani, the then UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, senior BJP leaders MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiar, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Babri mosque demolition case was not maintainable and hence directed its office to convert and treat the revision as criminal appeal . The court has fixed August 1 as the next date of hearing.

The order came from a bench of justice Dinesh Kumar Singh. The matter was earlier fixed on July 11, 2022 but the lawyers for revisionists sought adjournment.

The bench had agreed but fixed Monday with caution to the revisionists' lawyers that it would not adjourn the hearing on Monday on any of their pleas.

The petition was filed by two Ayodhya residents – Haji Mahmood Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad . The duo alleged in the petition that they were witnesses in the trial against the accused persons and alleged victims owing to demolition of the disputed structure .

The Babri mosque was demolished by Karsewaks on December 6, 1992. After long legal battle, the special CBI court on September 30, 2020 pronounced the judgment in the criminal trial and acquitted all the accused. The trial judge had refused to believe newspaper cuttings, video clips as evidence as the originals of the same were not produced , while the entire edifice of the case rested on these pieces of documentary evidence. The trial judge also held that the CBI could not produce any evidence that the accused had a meeting of mind with Karsewaks who demolished the structure.

Assailing the findings of the trial court, the revisionists have pleaded that the trial court committed error in not convicting the accused persons whereas ample evidence was on record. "The trial judge did not appreciate the evidence of conspiracy in the right perspective," alleged the revisionists.

In the petition, the revisionists have sought to set aside the judgment of September 30, 2002 and hold all the 32 accused guilty and they be punished accordingly.